Her Glass is Full

It was really a “Wow” moment for me.  I often talk about trying to view the world through the “glass half full” lens.  My daughter took it another step, as she always does, and I want to live in her world.

Yesterday was a cloudy, misty, rainy kind of day.  Everything wet.  I was sitting on the damp steps of our terrace contemplating what kinds of things I would do on a nice day, but left with what I could do, given the weather.  It wasn’t really raining, just sort of spitting enough to dampen many outdoor activities.  Meanwhile, my daughter was walking up from her swing set where she had spent several minutes climbing and playing, as is her “job”.  When she got up to me, she simply said, with a big smile, with all enthusiasm and sincerity, “Daddy, isn’t it a beautiful day?”  All I could do was smile, agree, and giver her a big hug.  I thought, “who else could look at the day like that?”  But she was right.  It was a beautiful day.  She was happy, I was happy, and despite all my worries of the moment (I can’t mow the lawn, no tennis today, my lawn’s red thread problem was getting worse with the rain, etc.), we were together and enjoying our time.  It WAS a beautiful day.  That memory will come in handy very often as I endeavor to look at life more like my six year old.  There is no “half” about her glass.

Dan Scheerer 

SmartGeorge

An Expert's World

You’ve just been informed you’re being sued.  The transmission blows in your car.  You have mind-numbing pain in a tooth.  You’ve just been told you have a rare form of cancer.  Your child is suffering from autism.  

These are circumstances, of varying degrees of seriousness, which we all hope to avoid.  None are fun and a couple are downright scary.  But when these things occur (and they do to hundreds, perhaps thousands of people every day), who do people call?  Experts.  They want to find the person with the highest qualifications to help deal with the challenging circumstance in which they find themselves.  Most often people are more than willing to bare the higher cost of that expert care.  Think about it.  Much of our world is intricate and complicated and most of us have neither the knowledge or skills to deal with the challenges ourselves.  But we want the BEST results.  

So who do we call?  Oh, we have choices.  Lots of choices.  How many mechanics are out there?  How many dentists?  Doctors?  Do we turn to the internet for the answer, or the yellow pages?  DEFINITELY not the latter!  Typically we look to friends who we think will know who the “best” is, or we ask experts who should already know who the “best” is and where to find them.  We all tend to trust a reference because that person referring us already has some knowledge or, more importantly, the experience to know.  Because experience matters.  I guarantee that when you are told you have cancer, you won’t be looking for just anyone recently out of medical school.  You will look for someone with many years of expertise in your particular kind of cancer.

But this is an extreme example.  Every day we need help from others and we always hope we are getting a qualified expert, whether it is to repair the dishwasher or treat your sick dog.  And generally speaking, those with greater knowledge and skill charge higher fees, get more referrals and have more successful outcomes.  Where would you like to be on that scale?

The strange thing is, EVERYONE is an expert in something.  If nothing else, at least in themselves.  Nobody is more expert in you, than you.  But what you become expert in depends very much on what you spend your time doing.  An expert mechanic doesn’t get to be so from spending his days in front of the TV.  If he did, he’d be an “expert” in TV programming, not repairing cars or dishwashers.  (and last I checked, there’s not much call for experts in TV watching!)  Over the course of your life, you WILL become expert in something, maybe even several things, but you can CHOOSE in what area(s) you’ll become expert.  Choose something productive and rewarding.  Find something you enjoy doing that means something.  Become an expert by doing it a lot.  The more other people value your knowledge and skill, the better you will be compensated.  Do it better than ANYONE else, and you will be VERY well compensated.  Just remember, experts become so only through hard work, perseverance and incremental improvement over time, but they all started where you are today.

In what will you become expert?

Dan Scheerer, SmartGeorge

Living Life's Priorities (from The Octopus Solution)

Sometimes I come across pieces that just need to be forwarded.  The following piece was in an email blog from The Octopus Solution, so the best way to forward it out to SmartGeorge was to copy it into my blog.  It’s a quick read with a great message.  It seems to me I’ve heard it before, but I was glad to find it in print (the formatting did some funny things, but it’s mostly clear):

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee!

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.' The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things: your family, your children, your health and your favorite passions, and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life; if you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18 holes. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.' The coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee!

Dan Scheerer

SmartGeorge

Learn to Communicate!

More than almost anything else, communication can set you apart from your peers.  Your communication skills will either help you get that job, or into that school or training program, or it will keep you in line with everyone else continuing to look.  If you REALLY want to excel beyond your peers, take communication seriously.  Listen CAREFULLY to your friends: how frequently, within ONE sentence, do you hear “like..., ummm..., ya know...” etc?  The power of speech - oratory, is not appreciated by most, but the people who understand it’s power, and ACT to learn and develop the skill go farther.  It’s everyday habit.  It isn’t a switch you can turn on and off.  Make it who you are.

Let me be practical here.  To be hired for a supervisory role, a management role, a leadership role, you must be able to communicate directly and concisely.  Listen to those in charge at your school or other organizations where you are involved.  How do they speak?  How do they write?  If they communicate well, it is because they took it seriously and learned.  They studied.  They practiced. They implemented.  If they SOUND educated, it is because they ARE educated, at least about communicating.  In fact, you can hide lots of faults if you communicate well!  

How can you improve your spoken and written communication skills?  Make it a goal!  Go to your english teacher for extra help.  Find a tutoring program.  Read books, both educational in nature on communication, as well as everything else.  Pay attention to how good writers form their sentences.  Pay attention to their grammar, their vocabulary.  Learn to expand yours!  But most of all, PRACTICE! When you write anything, go back over it and re-read it.  Does it say what you intended?  Will it make the reader want to read it, and more?  Did you take any lazy shortcuts?  Could you use fewer words to get the idea across? 

Today, everyone writes in their own personal “shorthand”.  Email use (and texting, instant messaging, etc.) is destroying language skills because it is (wrongly) assumed that one doesn’t need to meet basic standards when writing email messages.  Make yourself stand out!  Use proper english when writing emails.  Use punctuation, vocabulary, and grammar that your english teacher would approve of, or perhaps even respect!  Don’t be lazy - make the extra effort and it will become a habit that will serve you the rest of your life.  Maybe it will even help you get that next job up the ladder!

Dan Scheerer

SmartGeorge

Positive Programming

Hundreds of channels over days, weeks and months means hundreds of thousands of hours of programming on television a year.  the great majority of it is a complete waste of time.  Yes, there is some good entertainment as well as some great education, but finding shows with a Purpose is a challenge, to say the least.  But I have to admit, I have begun watching a new show that I find interesting AND educational at the same time, and it is very SmartGeorge!  SmartGeorge is all about preparing now for life’s future challenges and this show provides a glimpse into what it means to be an employee, a boss, and a family member.  It shows what traits employers look for in employees and what they are willing to do for those with positive attitudes.  It shows the power individuals have to control their lives and careers, and it shows, at a basic level, the types of jobs required to make different types of companies run.

Last night my wife and I watched “Undercover Boss” on CBS with our boys and they enjoyed the show and began to understand WHY hard work and a good attitude gives an advantage in life.  (This particular episode involved the company, GSI Commerce) I think we got them hooked and we plan to make it a regular Sunday night ritual as long as the show is running.  It gives us, as parents, an opportunity to talk about why they are going to school, how they will later be applying what they learn, and what they can do to advance themselves faster on their school and career paths as they grow older.  Have a look, see if you agree, and make “Undercover Boss” a part of your family dialog.  We can all learn from their lessons.  You can find it on cbs.com and hulu.com.

Dan Scheerer

SmartGeorge

Professionalism and Discipline: Thoughts by Atul Gawande

From “The Checklist Manifesto - How to Get Things Right”, 2009, by Atul Gawande (medical doctor, author):

“All learned occupations have a definition of professionalism, a code of conduct.  It is where they spell out their ideals and duties.  The codes are sometimes stated, sometimes just understood.  But they all have at least three common elements.”

“First is an expectation of selflessness: that we who accept responsibility for others- whether we are doctors, lawyers, teachers, public authorities, soldiers, or pilots- will place the needs and concerns of those who depend on us above our own.  Second is an expectation of skill: that we will aim for excellence in our knowledge and expertise.  Third is an expectation of trustworthiness: that we will be responsible in our personal behavior toward our charges.”

“Aviators, however, add a forth expectation, discipline: discipline in following prudent procedure and in functioning with others...”

“Discipline is hard- harder than trustworthiness and skill and perhaps even selflessness.  We are by nature flawed and inconstant creatures.  We can’t even keep from snacking between meals.  We are not built for discipline.  We are built for novelty and excitement, not for careful attention to detail.  Discipline is something we have to work at.”

Here, here.

Dan Scheerer, SmartGeorge

Credit and Life

The mission (lower case) of SmartGeorge is to help kids see the correlation between money and life.  A clear example of that truth struck our dinner table last night.  I picked Trust as a discussion point with my boys (15 & 12) as we were wrapping up our meal:  “Tell me about trust”, I said.  Sheepishly they began to define it as they perceive it.  I followed with a stream of questions to help guide their thoughts:

“What does it mean to trust someone?” they talked about me, and parents in general.

“Is trust important?”

“How does being trusted help you?”

“How does someone lose your trust?”

“Can they gain it back?”  “How?”

“Do you have an example of someone you don’t trust?”  “Why not?”

“How does being trusted serve you?”

“Do you think there are people who might not trust you?”  “How can you fix that?”

“How long does it take to repair trust?” (followed by defining the difference between a sincere and insincere apology)

“How do you insure that people trust you over the long term?”

I don’t recall the exact order of these questions and the flow of the conversation, but over the course of about twenty minutes or more, they talked about their teachers, their friends, and yes, even their dogs. (trusting them not to bite - good point!)  By the time we were exhausting the topic (and probably their tolerance level to put up with dad’s fathering) they had stretched their minds and added some perspective on the subject of trust.  Hopefully, they will consider it more often in their daily lives as they interact with their peers, teachers, younger schoolmates, and siblings.  We’ll revisit the topic regularly to be certain.

But that’s not the end of it.  As it goes in life, so it goes in business.  The same rules apply.  We seek the same comfort in our business world as we do at home.  Can we trust our partners?  Our teammates?  Our vendors?  Our lenders?  Do they trust us?  Have we earned THEIR trust?  At SmartGeorge, we usually start with the financial lesson and then move into it’s application in life.  But I reversed it on my boys here.  This topic of Trust moves naturally into the financial term, Credit.  Credit is really about whether banks and other lenders trust you to pay your debts properly and on time.  If you fail to do so, you lose their trust and must pay a penalty, as in life.  Financial institutions make your failures public, as people do in life.  You can earn their trust back, but it takes action and time, as in life.  An apology isn’t enough (sincere or not), its about long term behavior and forming good habits.  With money, it can be measured through your credit score.  It’s not so easy in life, but just as important.  

Hmm.  As my favorite minister likes to say, “That’ll preach!”

Dan Scheerer, SmartGeorge